Shampoo bowl



w. J. KIEFER Nov. 4, 1941.

SHAMPOO BOWL Filed Oct. 4, 1939 Patented Nov. 4, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE SHAMPOO BOWL Walter J. Kiefer, Belvidere, 111. Application October 4, 1939, Serial No. 297,890

6 Claims.

This invention relates to lavatories, and has special reference to an improved structure intended primarily for use in beauty parlors and the like.

An important object of the invention is the provision of a generally improved lavatory for shampoo purposes.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a shampoo bowl having improved means for supporting the users head during the shampooing operation, providing greater comfort for the user, and improved operation for the operator.

A still further object is the provision of a shampoo bowl having improved means for regulating the position of the users head with respect to the bowl.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a neck rest pad of improved form.

Other objects and advantages will appear from the following description and the accompanying drawing, in which- Figure 1 is a front view of a shampoo bowl embodying my invention;

Fig. 2 is a top View thereof;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary front view, partly in section, on a somewhat larger scale, and

Fig. 4 is a section on the line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

The invention contemplates a lavatory which may take a wide variety of specific shapes, one form of which is herein shown for purpose of illustration, and which comprises a bowl portion 5 having a front wall 6, side walls I and 8, a back wall 9, and a bottom ID, the upper edge of the bowl having a roll-over lip as shown at extending annularly thereof except for a portion of the front, as will presently appear. A drain l2 allows egress of water in the usual way. In this instance the lavatory has a ledge i3 carrying conventional hot and cold water valves, indicated generally by the numerals l4 and I5, and a spray l6 of the type using a disappearing hose (not shown). The lavatory is preferably constructed of metal having a coating of porcelain enamel in accordance with conventional practice.

According to the invention, the upper edge of the front side wall 6 has an arcuate depression I! therein, and the lip |l terminates in spaced relation to said depression as shown at l8 and I9 (Fig. 3). A neck rest is supported on the bowl so as to be received in the arcuate depression |1 between the ends l8 and IQ of the lip,'and'includes a central portion 2| having a lower surface 22 complementary to the depression l1 and adapted to seat therein in the lowermost position of the neck rest, as will presently appear.

depends therefrom along the inner side of the bowl, as best shown in Figs. 2 and 4, the apron serving to cover the depression I! and to prevent water from splashing through this open ing. This also serves to a limited extent in guiding the neck rest. On the outer edge of the central portion 2| are flanges 28 and 29, which in the lowermost position of the neck rest extend downwardly along the outer surface of the bowl so that in effect the neck rest frame, comprising the central portion 2| and the aprons 21, 28 and 29, straddles the upper edge of the side wall 6.

Attached to the central portion 2| by means of screws 3| and 32 is a ratchet bar designated generally by the numeral 33, the bar projecting downwardly in spaced relation to the apron 21, as best shown in Fig. 4. The bar extends through a rectangular opening 34 in the lower edge 35 of a ratchet frame designated generally by the numeral 36, which frame has a front plate 31 and annular rib 38, the lower side of which is provided with the opening 34 and the upper side of which has a slot 39 through which the ratchet bar 33 passes. The ratchet frame 36 is attached to the outer face of the bowl by means of screws 4| and 42 which engage in openings, not shown, in raised ribs such as shown at 43 on the outer surface of the bowl. A rib 44 extends into the slot 39 so as to confine the ratchet bar 33 against lateral movement. Along one edge of the ratchet frame is a sleeve 45 having a ratchet pawl 4'6 urged inwardly by a spring 41 and arranged for manual withdrawal by a knob 48, the pawl being adapted to engage ratchet teeth 49 positioned in the side of the ratchet bar 33. The ratchet teeth have an upper vertical side 5| and the pawl has a vertical side 52 so arranged that downward ratchet movement of the bar is prevented, but such that the ratchet bar can be drawn upward without manual actuation of the knob 48, the pawl sliding from tooth to tooth during such movement.

The upper side of the central portion 2| has an arcuate depression 53 within which is received a neck rest pad designated generally by the numeral 54, this pad beingformed of soft resilient water-proof material, such, for example, as sponge rubber. This pad consists of a central portion 55 adapted to seat on the central portion 2| of the head rest frame and side flanges 56 and 5! extending downwardly along the side of the frame so that the pad straddles the head rest frame, the side flanges gripping the frame to retain the pad in place. Preferably the pad, is somewhat deeper in the central area so as to provide a greater cushioning effect for the neck of the user which rests in a recess 58 in the top of the pad.

The device is intended to be used in the shampooing of hair, and for this purpose the occupant reclines on the back in a chair adjacent the bowl, the neck resting in the recess 58 with the head disposed over the center of the bowl. When the occupant or user takes this position the operator, by grasping the neck rest frame, draws the frame upward to a suitable elevation, in which position the neck rest is held by the latch or pawl 46. This supports the head of the occupant in a comfortable and convenient position for the shampooing operations over the bowl. At the close of the shampooing operations the head rest can be returned to the position shown in Figure 1 by withdrawing the pawl 46 and allowing the rest to move downward. It will be seen that the construction is such that the pad 54 may be lifted from the frame with facility and easily Washed and sterilized after use. Likewise, the entire neck rest may be removed from the bowl by simply pulling the rest upward until the ratchet bar 33 moves free of its support, thereby greatly facilitating the cleaning of the device.

While I have thus described and illustrated a specific embodiment of the invention, it will be understood that this is by way of illustration and not limitation, and I do not wish to be limited except as required by the prior art and the scope of the appended claims, in which I claim:

1. The combination in a shampoo bowl of a lavatory bowl having an annular upper edge, a neck rest frame shaped to straddle said upper edge and to receive the neck of the user, a ratchet bar on said neck rest extending downwardly along the outer side of the bowl, means on the bowl for confining said bar for longitudinal movement, and latch means on said bowl for engaging said ratchet bar to secure the ratchet bar in any of a plurality of positions.

2. The combination in a shampoo bowl of a lavatory bowl having an annular upper edge and an arcuate depression therein, a neck rest shaped to seat in said depression having an apron depending along the inner side of said bowl, and means acting between the neck rest and the exterior of said bowl for supporting the neck rest in any of aplurality of positions, said apron acting to support the neck rest against lateral movement and to cover the arcuate depression.

3. The combination in a shampoo bowl of a lavatory bowl having an annular upper edge provided with a roll-over lip and an arcuate depression in said edge, a neck rest comprising a portion shaped to seat in said depression and provided with an arcuate depression, and an apron depending along the inner side of said bowl, the thickness of said first-mentioned portion being substantially equal to the combined width of said lip and said apron whereby said first-mentioned portion presents the appearance of a continuation of said lip, a ratchet bar on said neck rest extending downwardly along the exterior of said bowl, and ratchet means acting between the bowl and said bar for supporting the head rest in any of a plurality of positions, said apron and said ratchet bar confining the side of the bowl therebetween to support the head rest and said apron covering the arcuate depression in the bowl to prevent egress of water therethrough.

4. The combination in a shampoo bowl of a lavatory bowl, a neck rest frame member shaped to straddle the upper edge of the bowl, a neck rest pad of soft water-proof material positioned on said frame member shaped to receive the neck of the user and support the head over the interior of the bowl, and means for supporting said frame member on the bowl at any of a plurality of elevations with respect thereto.

5. The combination in a shampoo bowl of a lavatory bowl having an annular upper edge provided with a roll-over lip and an arcuate depression in said edge, a neck rest comprising a portion shaped to seat in said depression and provided with an arcuate depression, and an apron depending along the inner side of said bowl, the thickness of said first-mentioned portion being substantially equal to the combined width of said lip and said apron whereby said first-mentioned portion presents the appearance of a continuation of said lip, a ratchet bar on said neck rest extending downwardly along the exterior of said bowl, ratchet means acting between the bowl and said bar for supporting the head rest in any of a plurality of positions, said apron and said ratchet bar confining the side of the bowl therebetween to support the head rest and said apron covering the arcuate depression in the bowl to prevent egress of water therethrough, and a neck rest pad of water-proof resilient material shaped to straddle said neck rest frame and follow the contour of the arcuate depression therein to receive the neck of the user.

6. In a neck rest pad for shampoo purposes for mounting to a wash bowl having upstanding side walls terminating at an upper rim, a fiat pad having a body of sponge rubber, the lower edge of the said pad being substantially of the configuration of an inverted arch, the opposed sides of the arch extending upwardly to form the side edges of the said pad, an inverted U-shaped channel on the lower side of the said pad for the reception of the upper rim of a wash bowl, the lower spaced side walls which form the channel of the said pad extending downwardly along the outer side wall and inner walls of the bowl, and an arcuate recess in the top portion of the said pad for receiving the neck of the user.

WALTER J. KIEFER. 

